Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Review: Derren Brown, Behind the Mischief

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Derren Brown's first appearance on Channel 4, the television station had a Derren Brown evening, which began with a new documentary: "Derren Brown - Behind the Mischief."

Behind the Mischief is the most personal on-air biographical material Derren has shown us to date. The 50-minute special is well worth your time. Here are a few of the highlights:

1. Film of taxidermy in Derren's home. Previously, I thought his interest in taxidermy was just part of his stage persona. Apparently not. The best piece is probably the 8-legged lamb.

2. Interview with James Copeman, the guy who put the bullet in the gun for Russian Roulette, and was generally terrified throughout his 15 minutes of fame.

3. As it turns out, Derren met Iain Sharkey (now a co-writer of his) when Sharkey appeared as a volunteer on the Seance special. Behind the Mischief includes footage of Sharkey screaming on Seance.

4. Derren reveals the show of his that he is least happy with: The portion of "The Event" series where he offers a misleading explanation of how he predicted the winning lottery numbers (he claims it was by averaging a group of volunteers' guesses).

5. A scene at DB's parents' home, in which his brother also appears, followed by a reminiscent visit to his childhood school.

There are plenty of other good moments, including a follow-up visit with Matt Galley, the subject of Hero at 30,000 Feet. For serious fans of Derren Brown, it is a must-see.